Thanksgiving Weekend + La Salette Shrine

In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, saying I was burnt out would be an understatement. I’d been taking classes without break since January, had studied for and taken the LSAT and applied to and was accepted into my top choice law school. Dealing with all the stress of the former, combined with the classes I had to take this semester to graduate a year early (all the hard ones), I was exhausted and completely drained. I was also completely unmotivated to do work and just wanted (needed) to sleep.

Finally, Thanksgiving arrived. I flew home Tuesday afternoon after what felt like one of the longest weeks ever and was greeted at the airport by Mom and the best pizza ever. For once, I had absolutely no plans, nothing to do, and no one to see. Actually, there were may people I probably should have seen, but in retrospect, am so glad I didn’t. I had the most restful weekend of my life. Despite below freezing temperatures (Thanksgiving had a ‘feels like’ of 10º) I got lots of biking in, painted, read a book, watched the deer try to break into our house, and spent time doing absolutely nothing.

Reese Witherspoon’s new book Whiskey in a Teacup had been on my list of books to read since it was released. It was essentially like a blog but in book format. She shared her favorite recipes, photos of her home, pieces from her clothing line and stories about life in the South, essentially explaining why she is the person she is today. She talked about everything from monograms (if it isn’t moving, monogram it!) to her views of child free weddings (how are children supposed to understand love and commitment if they aren’t invited to witness it first hand?). As someone who is obsessed with monogram etiquette, her book maintained my attention throughout.

I also did so much Black Friday shopping from the comfort of my bed, cat by my side. All the same deals were online, but there were no crowds and every item each store had available could be viewed, plus, they were guaranteed to have the size I was looking for. Although I have to wait for my items to ship, I’ll receive them brand new, having never been touched or tried on by anyone else. I really appreciate this, especially when buying shoes.

Saturday night, I decided to make plans with my cousin to go to La Salette Shrine up in MA to see the Christmas lights. An hour before, I almost backed out because I was so tired and just wanted to stay home, watch movies, paint and eat cake. Nevertheless, we went, and I decided to drive, which eventually woke me up. The Christmas lights were beautiful and I’m very glad I went!

I spend the last two days of my break watching movies with my parents, eating pancakes and doing a little bit of schoolwork before flying back Monday morning. As soon as we landed, this horrible man got up to go to the bathroom, so the plane had to wait five whole minutes to get to the gate! I was not thrilled, to say the least. Once I got back to school, I was ready to be productive and finally motivated again! I immediately pumped out my 15 page final paper that was due at midnight. The next day, I somehow managed to go to class non-stop from 8am-8pm, write 3 papers, go grocery shopping, workout, go for a walk, and decorate my room for Christmas. This morning I’m thinking that was a little too much for one day… With only three of each class left, I am finally rested and motived to get through this semester. Only 172 days until I graduate!